As satellites become increasingly miniaturized along with electronics in general, it has become possible and economically desirable to use excess volume and weight capacity in launch vehicles (LV) to carry auxiliary payloads (AP), essentially small secondary space vehicles (SV) incorporating satellites of various uses and capabilities. Depending on their weight, such small satellites may be classified as pico spacecraft, nano spacecraft, micro spacecraft, or mini spacecraft. By piggybacking APs onto LVs having an otherwise independent mission, the costs for placing a small satellite into space are greatly reduced, making space-based resources available to a much larger market.
As understood herein, it is desirable that APs be technically and programmatically transparent to the primary spacecraft and that APs impose no technical or contractual risk, including the risk of delaying launch schedules, to the primary spacecraft and its mission. It is further desirable that more than one AP be accommodated when appropriate, e.g., when multiple picos, nanos, micros or minis can be included as APs on a launch vehicle, without undue technical complexity in arranging the AP in the available area of the LV and without requiring undue coordination between individual manufacturers of APs.